Extreme7 Gen3 Intel Option Rom 10.8.0.1303

[Undermoose]

Re: Extreme7 Gen3 Intel Option Rom 10.8.0.1303

I downloaded the tool and extracted BIN's, I can see the dev 8086-2822 and 8086-282a, but I don't understand what to look for to see the UEFI OROM on the Extreme7 Gen3 BIOS version 2.33A.

2822 = 10.8.0.1303
282a = 11.0.0.1339

[zslawek]

Re: Extreme7 Gen3 Intel Option Rom 10.8.0.1303

you have to look for "SataDriver", it is well written on this page AHCI/RAID ROM modules for BIOS modding - already extracted - BIOS/BIOS-Modding - Win-Lite Forum

[Undermoose]

Re: Extreme7 Gen3 Intel Option Rom 10.8.0.1303

Hi zslawek, it's well documented as to what driver to look at in the bios for EFI installed OS, but doesn't detail the extraction and identification specifics well. It does detail how to replace it quite well /gulp...

Using MMTool, I open the BIOS, look for SataDriver, but do I then switch to Extract Tab, and Link Present, and select 8086-2822, and then Export? If I do that and select 2822 or 282a the BIN file generated has the same versions as CMSCORE extracts did.

[parsec]

Re: Extreme7 Gen3 Intel Option Rom 10.8.0.1303

The array is constructed of 3gb/sec SATA Seagate Enterprise class disks, I don't use anything but enterprise class for arrays frankly after system lock ups while tinkering were generating reallocated sectors on lesser disks, but not these. Disk1 and Disk2 are also enterprise class 6gb/sec utility disks (one on the Intel controller and one on the ASMedia controller). I don't worry about redundancy on these and mount as folders off my D drive.

Interesting that you mention Enterprise class drives. They are usually ignored by most PC builders, because just like SSDs, they are "too expensive".

Why are enterprise class HDDs so expensive:

• They are built to a higher specification, or;
• Are higher binned drives
• They are actively supported by the manufacture
• Warranty is good, five years

Why are consumer class HDDs so cheap:

• They are lower spec'd or binned drives
• Support is more difficult to get
• Warranty is short, one or two years

A typical PC user does not put much stress on a HDD, even as an OS drive, so they work pretty well for most people. As mass storage devices that don't get much use, they are great too. But we've all had HDDs fail, if only due to the mechanical part of their construction. So hopefully we get a good one from the enterprise drive reject pile, and many times we do.

BTW, if you try one of these modded BIOS', be sure you know how to change to a different BIOS version, as some update programs apparently only let you update to newer versions. There are a few tricks to do this, but different for each board.

[Undermoose]

Re: Extreme7 Gen3 Intel Option Rom 10.8.0.1303

Hi zslawek, it's well documented as to what driver to look at in the bios for EFI installed OS, but doesn't detail the extraction and identification specifics well. It does detail how to replace it quite well /gulp...

Using MMTool, I open the BIOS, look for SataDriver, but do I then switch to Extract Tab, and Link Present, and select 8086-2822, and then Export? If I do that and select 2822 or 282a the BIN file generated has the same versions as CMSCORE extracts did.

Still hoping to get clarification on this please.

The array is constructed of 3gb/sec SATA Seagate Enterprise class disks, I don't use anything but enterprise class for arrays frankly after system lock ups while tinkering were generating reallocated sectors on lesser disks, but not these. Disk1 and Disk2 are also enterprise class 6gb/sec utility disks (one on the Intel controller and one on the ASMedia controller). I don't worry about redundancy on these and mount as folders off my D drive.

Interesting that you mention Enterprise class drives. They are usually ignored by most PC builders, because just like SSDs, they are "too expensive".

Why are enterprise class HDDs so expensive:

• They are built to a higher specification, or;
• Are higher binned drives
• They are actively supported by the manufacture
• Warranty is good, five years

Why are consumer class HDDs so cheap:

• They are lower spec'd or binned drives
• Support is more difficult to get
• Warranty is short, one or two years

A typical PC user does not put much stress on a HDD, even as an OS drive, so they work pretty well for most people. As mass storage devices that don't get much use, they are great too. But we've all had HDDs fail, if only due to the mechanical part of their construction. So hopefully we get a good one from the enterprise drive reject pile, and many times we do.

BTW, if you try one of these modded BIOS', be sure you know how to change to a different BIOS version, as some update programs apparently only let you update to newer versions. There are a few tricks to do this, but different for each board.

I purchased 6 Seagate retail drives from Best Buy, Barracuda 2TB 7200.11 (with fixed firmware), and put them into my raid10. I had a 6 disk raid10 array at one time, but found 4 disk raid10 to be more manageable on a desktop system.

I ended up RMA'ing the drives multiple times, sometimes multiple drives at same time, due to reallocated sectors appearing after a system hang, power outage, restart & verify and S.M.A.R.T would report them. I will commend Seagate for taking care of me, they offered to replace all 6 of my 2TB drives with Enterprise Class drives, 4 x Constellation 2TB 3gb/sec SATA (refurbished) & 2 x Constellation ES 6gb/sec SATA (brand new) at standard advanced replacement fees.

I'll mention, 4 x 3gb/sec and 2 x 6gb/sec is a perfect use case for my new motherboard at the time (ASRock Extreme7 Gen3), and motherboards in general today if you're building a raid 10, as the raid10 should only be built on the 3gb/sec ports on the Intel controller since there are 4 ports. Sure you could include the 2 6gb/sec ports in they array, but it would be mixed port types since you only get 2 6gb/sec ports on the Intel controller and have 4 disks in a raid10. I put a SSD cache is on one of the Intel 6gb/sec ports to cache my Raid10 UEFI, and I have the two 6gb/sec Constellation ES drives on the ASMedia controller for utility disks.

Since Seagate did the swap for enterprise class storage I haven't had a single reallocated sector for close to 2 years of constant use. I will never build a home raid10 again without enterprise class drives. You'd think maybe it would be different if I wasn't UEFI booting and caching it, however the first motherboard the array lived on was an Asus Rampage III Extreme with qx9770 CPU. No such thing as SSD caching or UEFI booting that fine rig ;).

I believe there is more to the "enterprise class" than just being better a better bin. Retail is typically just raid1 or raid0 configurations, enterprise class are built with enterprise raid configurations in mind (raid0,1,5,6,10), a quote from their marketing hype (LOL, no I don't work for Seagate): "Powered by our multi-drive firmware and enhanced rotational vibration tolerance".

[parsec]

Re: Extreme7 Gen3 Intel Option Rom 10.8.0.1303

...

I believe there is more to the "enterprise class" than just being better a better bin. Retail is typically just raid1 or raid0 configurations, enterprise class are built with enterprise raid configurations in mind (raid0,1,5,6,10), a quote from their marketing hype (LOL, no I don't work for Seagate): "Powered by our multi-drive firmware and enhanced rotational vibration tolerance".

Well, I was being charitable about consumer drives, since I thought I might anger the HDD devotee's. I agree that they are different animals.

That sounds like great support from Seagate, all you usually hear in general about any HDD company is not good.

I've had good luck with Hitachi HDDs lately, short of one that was DOA, shipped from Newegg, shipped being the keyword.

I was underwhelmed by the so called "SATA 6Gb/s" HDDs, which don't even reach SATA II sequential read speeds. That was another Hitachi 2.2TB HDD, with 64MB cache, which is all of ~25MB/s faster than a SATA 3Gb/s HDD. All marketing BS IMO.

Your Rampage III board no doubt used the Intel ICH10R SATA chipset, likely the best PC SATA II chipset. Last used on X58/i7-900 CPU series boards. I have a four SSD RAID 0 volume on my X58/ICH10R board as the OS volume, not a glitch in over a year. I would trust the ICH10R anytime, but yes, no SSD caching.

UEFI booting should make no difference IMO. Once you get past the POST checks, and hopefully a different RAID OROM, UEFI booting has little to no influence over the RAID volume's operation.

I may have found a bug in either Windows 8, the Intel RAID driver (11.7), or a certain SSD when used in RAID 0. Windows 8 has a new manual TRIM feature for SSDs that is integrated with the usual HDD defragment feature, into one feature called Optimize. The Optimize feature lists all the disks on the PC, and their type, ie HDD, SSD, removable (USB Flash), etc. The key here is the recognition of the type of drive, if SSD it will be TRIM'd, if a HDD it will be defragmented. The great news is it will TRIM a RAID 0 array of SSDs (perhaps only on Intel 7 series chipsets) which I have run successfully. But I discovered that a certain model of SSD when in a RAID 0 array is seen as a HDD in Optimize, and will have a defragment run on it, not useful for SSDs at all. Other SSD models in RAID 0 are recognized correctly as SSDs. The SSD seen as a HDD when in a RAID volume is seen as a SSD when used normally. I'm still checking this and it may be a fluke on that PC, but I do know that jumping to conclusions is usually wrong.

[Undermoose]

Re: Extreme7 Gen3 Intel Option Rom 10.8.0.1303

I was underwhelmed by the so called "SATA 6Gb/s" HDDs, which don't even reach SATA II sequential read speeds. That was another Hitachi 2.2TB HDD, with 64MB cache, which is all of ~25MB/s faster than a SATA 3Gb/s HDD. All marketing BS IMO.

I think Intel chose to put 4 x 3gb/sec ports on it's controller because the performance of a raid10 array on those ports maxes out the chipset capabilities, so there is no need for 6gb/sec in raid10.

Your Rampage III board no doubt used the Intel ICH10R SATA chipset, likely the best PC SATA II chipset. Last used on X58/i7-900 CPU series boards. I have a four SSD RAID 0 volume on my X58/ICH10R board as the OS volume, not a glitch in over a year. I would trust the ICH10R anytime, but yes, no SSD caching.

You're correct the x58 REIII was the ICH10R, I must correct myself, mine was the the Rampage Extreme with qx9770 on LGA775 which I sold it when Sandy Bridge came out. It was a nice rig, but had an ICH9R. Anyway my RE offered a couple of years of PC tweaking and hours on the Rampage Extreme forum lol. What a finicky board in some respects, specifically overclocking and stability lol OUCH, storage was never an issue though except when I was crashing the system and causing reallocated sectors LOL. When the ASRock Extreme7 Gen3 arrived... mana from heaven, what simplicity, wow, hit a button and 50 percent OC without tweaking a thing. LOL, BORING, but works ;)

[zslawek]

Re: Extreme7 Gen3 Intel Option Rom 10.8.0.1303

Hi zslawek, it's well documented as to what driver to look at in the bios for EFI installed OS, but doesn't detail the extraction and identification specifics well. It does detail how to replace it quite well /gulp...

Using MMTool, I open the BIOS, look for SataDriver, but do I then switch to Extract Tab, and Link Present, and select 8086-2822, and then Export? If I do that and select 2822 or 282a the BIN file generated has the same versions as CMSCORE extracts did.

Here you are
sorry for the delay

[Undermoose]

Re: Extreme7 Gen3 Intel Option Rom 10.8.0.1303

When I extract just as the screen shot above, I don't see a version in the extract file like I do with the CMSCORE extracts.

[zslawek]

Re: Extreme7 Gen3 Intel Option Rom 10.8.0.1303

it's because the driver information in the satadriver isn't at the begenig. you have to serch the hole file for string "1 1 . 5"

[Undermoose]

Re: Extreme7 Gen3 Intel Option Rom 10.8.0.1303

Thanks again zslawek.

So are you saying this means the UEFI OROM of my Extreme7 Gen3 2.33A BIOS is 11.5.0.1582?

[zslawek]

Re: Extreme7 Gen3 Intel Option Rom 10.8.0.1303

IMHO yes

[Undermoose]

Re: Extreme7 Gen3 Intel Option Rom 10.8.0.1303

IMHO yes

Based on what I've read about Windows 8 requirements I tend to agree, but I would love to be able to verify this from within Windows.